Third Blog-aversary: Awesomeness in Pictures!

So yes, in my last Blog-aversary post I talked about all the things that went wrong and didn't go the way I planned. But enough of that. The year 2012 ended up being a great year when it came to excursions, achievements, and over all experiences. Each month represented something new, and thanks to me being a photo fiend I was able to take pictures of it. 

January 2012: I completed my second 5k! The Coastal 5k outside of L.A. was a great location and I was thrilled to have been able to run a second race. At this point I was planning on training for a marathon. 

February 2012: I was back in full swing at work. I got a chance to complete a 13 mile hike from up in the San Jacinto mountains down to Palm Springs. It was an awesome experience.

March 2012: I completed my first 10k! The Coaster Run next to Knotts Berry Farm theme park in Buena Park, CA was a great location and a great day to run this race. Here I am with my medal and my pie! No, I didn't actually eat the pie. LOL

April 2012: I took a trip up the desert and visited my second home. It had been a while since I hung out in the Mojave desert, and getting a chance to do some old field work and climbing on rocks was a great expereince.

 May 2012: I got to cross out something from my bucket list! I visited the Redwoods in Northern California. The tallest trees in the world and the whole forest was like a dream come true!

 June 2012: I got a chance to work with some amazing people and on the way I got to hike Muir Woods in San Francisco and experience another bucket list cross off: the humidity of the east coast. Hello Virginia!

 July 2012: Continuing on my awesome summer I got to check out Washington DC! I walked the entire Smithsonian museum quad (another bucket list!) and got to check out awesome sights like the Lincoln Memorial and the White House.

 Also in July I got to go to Chicago! I got a chance to ride the El train (bucket list!) and visit the Planetarium. It was an awesome vacation, where I got to wear a summer dress. Being able to wear this dress was a huge step up, when before I would never have dreamed of even owning one because I was so self conscious. I felt free this day.

 August 2012: My birthday! I welcomed 26 with a new mind set. I felt strong, attractive and happy. I was ready to go back to work.

 September 2012: After a whole summer of no running due to plantar fasciitis I finally return to running. This was one of my first runs in September. It felt good, don't let my weird face fool you. lol

 October 2012: Back in full swing at work I decide to go on one of my soul cleansing hikes. I love these hikes, for the view, the exercise, and just the chance to be outside.

 November 2012: Despite slowing down in my running I still managed to run my third race of the year and my fourth 5k. The Front Runners Pride run in Palm Springs was great and I ended up with my best time yet!

 December 2012: Christmas Eve I spontaneously ran a Christmas virtual 5k and ended up winning! It was an awesome way to start the holidays and give me a bit of spunk and motivation to continue on my journey.

Yes, I didn't end up losing any weight this year. Yes I have self sabotaging issues and I need to work on my priorities. But this year was an awesome year full of new experiences. I got to run races, hike, go to new places and meet new people. It was a great year and I feel I have grown. However, it's time to start over and start with basics. My journey is not over and I need to keep losing weight in order to better my health and my life.

Bring it on 2013. I'm ready for you.

-w0rld